India suspends all flights from UK till Dec 31, makes RT-PCR mandatory for transit flights

As several European countries shut down travel to the United Kingdom due to fears about a new strain of the coronavirus, India has followed the suit and suspended all flights originating from UK till December 31. It has also made it mandatory for travellers arriving from UK in transit flights to undergo RT-PCR test.

Through Twitter, the Ministry of Civil Aviation informed that passengers arriving from UK in all transit flights should be subject to mandatory COVID-19 testing.

"Considering the prevailing situation in UK. Govt. of India has decided that all flights originating from UK to India to be suspended till 31st December 2020 (23.59 hours)," the ministry tweeted.

"This suspension to start w.e.f. 23.59 hours, 22nd December 2020. Consequently flights from India to UK shall stand temporarily suspended during above said period," it said in another tweet.

This suspension to start w.e.f. 23.59 hours, 22nd December 2020. Consequently flights from India to UK shall stand temporarily suspended during above said period.

— MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) December 21, 2020

"As a measure of abundant precaution, passengers arriving from UK in all  transit flights (flights that have taken off or flights which are reaching India before 22nd Dec at 23.59 hrs) should be subject to mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival at the airports concerned," a tweet from the ministry read.

As a measure of abundant precaution, passengers arriving from UK in all transit flights (flights that have taken off or flights which are reaching India before 22nd Dec at 23.59 hrs) should be subject to mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival at the airports concerned.

— MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) December 21, 2020

This comes as Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Monday reassured the people of the country that the Central government is alert about the new coronavirus strain emerging from the United Kingdom, adding that there is no need to panic.

"The government is alert. There is no need to panic," said Union Minister while addressing the curtain-raiser press conference on India International Science Festival 2020.

On December 19, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had announced that the newly-identified strain of the virus may be up to 70 per cent more transmissible. According to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, the new variant was "out of control".

Earlier, the Health Ministry called an emergency meeting of its top advisors to discuss the emergence of the mutated strain of coronavirus in the United Kingdom, which has led to massive surge in cases and prompted several countries to stop incoming flights from the country.

The Joint Monitoring Group is chaired by the Director General of Health Services. Experts from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the World Health Organization (WHO) representative and others are also part of the emergency meeting.